The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has announced its support for the City of Seattle’s motion to terminate the consent decree in United States v. City of Seattle. This decree, which required the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to reform practices related to use of force, crisis intervention, and accountability, was established in 2012 following findings of excessive force violations.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated, “We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this thirteen-year-old consent decree.” The department has reportedly met the necessary standards for compliance with federal laws under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington also expressed support for terminating the decree: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, believes the district court should terminate the consent decree and monitorship, which have been in place for 13 years.” She highlighted Seattle’s work on crowd control policies and accountability systems as evidence of successful police reform.
The decision now rests with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
